Productivity affected by lack of sleep

More than 90 per cent of Australians are not getting enough sleep, according to the largest ever national sleep census.

A recent survey conducted by Queensland's CQUniversity found that just four per cent of the 13,089 respondents woke up feeling refreshed on a daily basis.

While sleep disturbances affected almost one in four Australians, there was a significant difference in the amount of sleep required to function effectively at work - management executives in particular felt they needed less shut-eye than other office workers, students or stay-at-home parents.

The results also revealed that work productivity was greatly affected, with one-third of those surveyed claiming that they had called into work sick due to a lack of sleep.

More alarmingly, almost 40 per cent indicated that they had drifted off to sleep at their desk of during a work meeting.

Some employees may wish to address any potential sleep disorder through diagnosis and treatment - costs which can be substantially covered by corporate health insurance policies.

HICA is able to assist companies that are genuinely interested in the health and wellbeing of their employees by establishing a corporate health plan, encouraging a happier and well-rested workplace.